Weight Loss Tips |

Here are a few of the weight loss studies that made headlines for the year 2007. The results of this first study come as no surprise. The study showed that even low levels of exercise are beneficial. Participants walked briskly for thirty minutes a day three days a week. Their blood pressure decreased and their overall fitness improved. Waist and hip girth decreased significantly.

Another study showed if you are a cyclist you are at a greater risk of osteoporosis. It’s recommended that you include some weight bearing exercises in your workouts.

Aren’t some of these studies just plain old common sense? Exercise is beneficial to the brain announced another 2007 study. The data showed exercise improved the cognitive function of the brain.

Using a pedometer caused significant increases in physical activity and significant decreases in body mass index and blood pressure. My advice, run out and buy a pedometer and keep track of your steps and mileage.

Did you know the more entertaining a television program the more you eat. That’s right a study showed the more involved the subjects were in the TV show the more they ate.

There have been many studies over the years on Conjugated Linoleic Acid CLA. The 2007 study showed that CLA helps a person lose fat.

This one is a bit of a surprise. Overweight people did not benefit as much from strength training as did leaner people. Researchers showed that both groups benefited from strength training. It’s just that overweight people did not gain as much strength or lean muscle mass.

Not so surprisingly, eating soup or a salad before your meal helps to curb your appetite. The study showed that soup took the edge off hunger.

When you think about it, the findings of this study make a lot of sense. Emotional eaters have the hardest time losing and keeping weight off.

This one’s scary. Being overweight increases the risk of kidney cancer.

Hang on to your seat because Americans are fatter than ever. Didn’t we all know this already? How much of our taxpayer money was spent on this one?

This one isn’t too hard to believe. All diets have about the same results. Researchers reported that a typical dieter lost about 12 pounds no matter what diet they choose. Providing of course they stuck with it.

A lot of people won’t like the results of this study. The Atkins diet resulted in greater weight loss than other diets.

I’ve got to tell you about this one. Newly married young men and women gained 6 to 9 pounds more than their peers who were not married. And if the couple lived together without the benefit of marriage the weight gain was not nearly as much.

So there you have it. These are just a few of the weight loss studies that made the headlines in 2007. I’ll be watching the 2008 studies. Maybe scientist will find the miracle weight loss pill we’ve all been waiting for.

Brown Seaweed contains Fucoxanthin. This is a pigment that gives the seaweed its brown color. It helps the seaweed to make chemical energy. Fucoxanthin is being studied for the purposes of weight loss and cancer fighting ability. It is used in Asian cuisine such as sushi, soups and salds.

Fat Burning?*

Rat studies have shown that Fucoxanthin may increase a protein in rats that causes fat to burn at a faster rate. The result is that these laboratory animals have a rapid loss of weight (fatty tissue). This protein is referred to as UCP1. It increases fat oxidation or fat burning.

Added advantage (An Antioxidant)

Fucoxanthin is an antioxidant. It helps to neutralize free radicals in the body. Free radicals are charged particles that the body generates in disease states (e.g. high blood pressure, obesity, atherosclerosis, cancer, etc.) and stress states. Free radicals promote aging and tissue damage in blood vessels and organs.

Added advantage (Omega-3 Fatty Acid)

In laboratory animals fed it with soybean oil, omega-3 fatty acid levels rose in the liver. Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be heart friendly and protective against heart disease.

Final Words

Fucoxanthin is a promising nutritional supplement. Research continues in the areas of weight loss and omega-3 fatty acid levels. The studies involving fat-burning involves it raising the level of a protein called UCP1 that can burn fat at a faster rate in animal studies. Fucoxanthin is an excellent antioxidant.

*Read the Report: American Chemical Society’s 232nd National Meeting & Exposition, San Francisco, Sept. 10-14, 2006. News release, American Chemical Society.

Carbohydrates have become a subject that comes up when it comes to weight loss. Many people don’t know what carbohydrates really are until they go on a diet, or start reading labels and trying to limit them, but they still may not grasp how a good carbohydrate is good and a bad carbohydrate is bad.

Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs:

Good carbohydrates, bad carbohydrates, how do you know the difference? Carbohydrates turn into sugar when the body metabolizes them and this includes starches. Your body processes natural sugar or carbohydrates, different than it does unnatural sugar.

So if you understand the difference, say in eating an orange versus eating a Twinkie, then you can understand the difference in good carbohydrates and bad carbohydrates. While an orange has carbohydrates, which is natural sugar, you still get a nutritional benefit from it. Maybe a Twinkie has the same amount of carbohydrates, but it is considered bad, because a Twinkie has no nutritional value.

Carbohydrate Weight Loss:

When it comes to carbohydrates weight loss, it is by cutting carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per day, or less, that you actually can be considered on a low carbohydrate weight loss diet. Many people will take this to 0, by eating a diet of meat, not fried, which has no carbohydrates, eggs-no carbohydrates, vegetables-such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans, carrots, lettuce salads with no carbs and lose weight quickly.

When it comes to understanding carbohydrate weight loss diets, and fat storage, there is a difference, (not calorie-wise), of what natural carbohydrates can do for your system. Many people find they can substitute the vitamins, say in corn, which is high in carbohydrates and find them in a low carbohydrate substitute. This was how low carb diets were born, and the good carbs versus bad carbs argument started.

Take in Less Calories:

Taking in fewer calories than you burn will cause you to lose weight. Certain calories, such as protein, vitamins and minerals are easier to burn, or turn to muscle and others are put into your fat storage system, such as fat, sugar and carbohydrates. Fat cells grab onto fat, sugar and carbohydrates to store up for later, and cause you to gain weight.

Calories and Carbohydrates:

You can eat meat and low carbohydrate vegetables and fruit with an equal calorie count, and lose weight easier than in a high sugar, fat or carbohydrate diet. That is why low carbohydrate diets have worked for many people; they shifted to metabolizing calories the body can use.

For carbohydrate weight loss, you need to look at the nutritional components, and start choosing calories your body can metabolize for cells other than fat, and the cravings for sugar, starches and bad carbohydrates will subside, as you watch your carbohydrate intake.

In conclusion:

By limiting your carbohydrate intake to 20 grams or less per day, you will start dropping pounds quickly and feel healthier. Your cravings for sugar will subside after a few days, and some borderline diabetics are no longer diabetic. A low carbohydrate weight loss diet can be one of the quickest and healthiest ways to lose weight.

Weight control as well as weight loss has been one of society’s hot topics until the present time. Since the rate of obesity, including weight-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer continue to rise more and more every year, the awareness of the people also continues to increase. Factors that affect the increase in a person’s weight include lack of physical activities and regular exercise, and excessive intake of fatty and salty food. Such factors are modifiable, thus, can be easily addressed.

Together with the increase in awareness, more and more products as well as a variety of interventions are now being introduced for the public to utilize. Included are the acai berries and the products derived from the said fruit. Acai weight loss has been advertised by popular celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Rachel Ray, who are into different weight loss regimen. Since acai berry is an antioxidant, it helps excrete body toxins that cannot be excreted by regular excretion processes in the body, thus, the acai weight loss occurs. Furthermore, acai berry also contains high amount of fiber or roughage which helps facilitate better gastrointestinal functioning by pushing the food through the digestive system as well as absorb water resulting to a regular bowel pattern and movement.

Aside from the acai weight loss effects, there are also other available weight-control strategies which can be easily followed. First is by choosing food low in fat and low in calories which include fruits and green leafy vegetables. Another strategy is by eating small portions since it gives enough time for the gastrointestinal system to digest food, thus, resulting to decreased food intake. Also, drinking of water instead of carbonic drinks or beverages and increased amount of physical activity.

Fiber has been touted as a promising tool in weight control and with good reason. It is great for digestion when taken as a weight loss supplement or eaten as a part of your regular diet.

Fiber is termed “a non-digestible food substance” common to carbohydrate foods. While the main categories for carbohydrates fall into the groupings of simple or complex, fiber type carbohydrates comprise a third and separate group.

Fiber type carbs include crunchy, hard to chew vegetables that are not only extremely low in calories, but essentially calorie free! That’s because the body lacks the enzymes to break down the fiber and obtain the calories found within the food.

The result of eating fiber type vegetables? They pass right through the body yielding no calories. In fact, fiber type carbohydrates may actually cost you calories. Here’s how. When you eat, calories are used up by the body when it begins to work on food to break it down and digest it.

When you eat a couple of vegetables, the body works to obtain the fuel from the food. In an attempt to obtain fuel from vegetables, calories are expended. You can look at it another way: the body uses its own fuel, so energy is expended when you try to gain more fuel from the foods you consume.

However, vegetables are nothing more than zero energy yielding foods. They don’t produce usable energy for the body and the human body is incapable of making use of fiber as fuel. The net effect: calories are burned off eating vegetables. Plus, these carbs don’t affect insulin levels.

Common fiber type vegetables include:

Asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, radish, spinach, squash, water chestnuts, wax beans, zucchini.

Vegetables obviously are beneficial in that they are very difficult to over eat and they make you feel satisfied. A person may find it relatively easy to gulp down 3 cups of pasta yielding 450 calories and approximately 135 g of carbohydrates, yet would likely find it either more difficult or less pleasurable to chomp down 3 cups of broccoli yielding 120 calories and 30 g of carbohydrates — all of which are not absorbable as they are locked within the fiber — nature’s undigestible carb.

The added benefit of fiber type carbs is their affect on insulin. When complex or simple carbohydrates are combined with fiber type vegetables, the speed at which the glucose from the complex or simple carbohydrates hits the bloodstream is retarded. In effect, adding veggies to a complex or simple carb slows the rate at which glucose reaches the blood.

If glucose enters the blood at a slower pace, the pancreas responds by outputting less insulin. A simple comparison: 200 calories of rice versus 200 calories of rice mixed with a cup of cauliflower. The rice only meal will elicit a greater insulin burst than the rice veggie combo. Fiber type veggies act as a natural time releasing agent on simple or complex carbs and it is this time releasing effect that impacts insulin levels.

The tiny amounts of fiber, or lack of fiber, in many complex carbohydrates affects insulin secretion. Wild rice contains small amounts of fiber compared to bleached white rice and real whole grain bread contains more fiber than white bread.

While all are considered a complex carbohydrate due to their long branching web of glucose molecules bound together, they are digested at different speeds due to varying fiber content. The white rice will digest faster than wild rice and therefore will kick insulin levels higher. Likewise, white bread, which is devoid of fiber, digests much faster than whole grain bread.

The net result? White bread creates a greater insulin response than whole grain bread and the greater the insulin response, the greater the effect on the complex system that keeps you fat!

In the full scope of things, total calories affect body fat levels as do the types of calories we eat. Carbs, protein and fat are unique in:

1) Their calorie value.

2) The calories that the body is able to access from them.

3) The effect they have on insulin levels.

Excess weight can be caused by a number of reasons from slow metabolism to sluggish thyroid. A cleansing diet for weight loss will assist your body’s natural cleansing processes to rid your body of excess waste.

Our small intestine has what is called an intestinal mucosa, which is basically a mucus lining or membrane whose purpose is digestion and assimilation of nutrients. When we eat junk foods, processed foods, overeat or eat while stressed, our bodies’ defense is to excrete excess mucus to stop the absorption of the toxins into the bloodstream.

If this happens a couple times a month, our body will simply digest this excess and eliminate it. Unfortunately, because of our fast-paced lifestyles, many of us eat like this every day. This keeps the body on defense, excreting excess mucus and leaving no time for digesting and eliminating the excess.

This can lead to a buildup of the mucus lining, which eventually turns to a mucosal plaque. Many experts in the health field say the average person has approximately 10 pounds of this buildup, which may inhibit metabolism. This buildup can also cause your system to become sluggish over the years. Could this be why we say our metabolism slows, as we get older?

Certain chemical toxins found in our environment can inhibit the function of organs such as the liver or the thyroid. This can result in weight gain or at least difficulty in losing excess weight.

For example, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, perchlorate, a chemical compound used in rocket fuel, is frequently being found in our drinking water supplies. (Go to EPA) This chemical is known to build up on the thyroid and may cause it to become sluggish. Some of this contaminated water can be used to process foods. In addition, there are many other known toxins such as food additives, preservatives and so on.

A cleansing diet for weight loss should therefore start with the elimination of all junk foods, processed foods, and fried foods. Also exclude for now: products that contain white flour, white sugar, all sodas, milk products (except a little butter) and canned foods.

For the next four weeks, eat mostly whole, fresh organic fruits, vegetables, omega-3 eggs, fresh veggie and/or fruit juices, whole, unprocessed grains (quinoa, buckwheat, oatmeal, barley, wild or brown rice), sprouts, organic beans, herbal teas and plenty of fresh drinking water.

For breakfast have a couple pieces of fruit or two eggs with tomatoes and spinach. Eat salads with olive oil and apple cider vinegar, for lunch and dinner; include a protein source from either a handful of sprouts or lean protein the size of your palm.

Include a fiber supplement and a green superfood in your daily regimen. This will help break down buildup that slows your system down, and will help to absorb and eliminate toxins that buildup on various organs such as the thyroid and liver.

The bottom line; eat lightly to allow your body to cleanse itself. Many people find their cravings for junk foods become less after a colon cleanse. Others find that after a colon cleanse they don’t want to go back to their old habits because they feel so good. The internet is filled with testimonials of people gaining more energy, losing more weight and feeling more healthy after a cleanse.

By choosing a cleansing diet for weight loss, you too can gain these benefits. Try for yourself. Learn more about a cleansing diet for weight loss at springclean-cleanse.com.

Are you interested in fat loss nutrition?  It’s one thing to know what kind of exercises you need to be doing, but it’s a whole other thing to know what kind of fat loss nutrition you need to have.

If you want to see the fat melt off your body, you need to make sure your diet is air tight and that you stick to it 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Now there is the option of having a cheat meal every now and then, but basically, you want to be diligent with following your system to ensure success. 

Here’s a simple guide on what to eat in order to lose weight:

1.  Eat Lean Meat

If you want to lose weight, you need to fill yourself up on lean meat.  This means eat foods such as chicken, turkey, lean beef and fish.  These foods contain plenty of protein which your body needs to sustain muscle so make sure you take this at every meal.

2.  Eat Your Complex Carbohydrates

A lot of people make a mistake on this one as they can never figure out what foods are simple carbs and what are complex.  This is where diets can be made or broken, so be sure you figure this out.  Complex carbohydrates are foods such as brown rice, brown bread, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, yams and vegetables.  Stick to foods such as this and you’ll be fine.

3.  Eat Healthy Fats

Lastly, you want to eat healthy, unsaturated fats.  These fats are found in nuts, nuts of any kind, so stock up on your almonds, walnuts and peacans.

So hopefully this answers some of your fat loss nutrition questions, the other key to all of this is to remain consistent with your diet.

A good natural weight loss program has at least three major components. If attention is focused on these three areas, it is very likely that the program will be successful. Without any of the three major components, the weight loss is likely to be less than successful. To be specific, the loss of extra pounds will be fostered by good nutrition and exercise program. You can also add healthful supplements to make your weight loss goals more achievable quickly. Balancing the various components is a lifelong task, but you can retrain your inclinations to use only good lifestyle choices.

Good Nutrition

One of the primary factors in any good natural weight loss program is that of good nutrition. If you are eating from each of the major food groups in moderate amounts, you will undoubtedly be getting many if not all of the major necessary nutrients. If there is any doubt about missing nutrients, you can also take one of the comprehensive multivitamin capsules targeted at your gender and age. It is important that you not eliminate any of the food groups from your diet. That can be counterproductive since you may be giving up just the right nutrients to help your digestive system work better.

Exercise

There are few natural weight loss programs or other types of weight loss programs that do not include the exercise component. Exercise is a great way to burn calories and to trim and tone the muscles in your entire body. Furthermore, the calorie burn count lasts beyond the actual activity, so you get added benefits even after the exercise is completed. Even a little exercise will have cardiovascular benefits that make your weight control program very favorable. So, increase the effectiveness of the nutrition component of your weight loss efforts by adding exercise.

Supplements

Using supplements for natural weight loss is not required in order to safely and effectively lose pounds and inches. However, supplements help to focus your energies on your practices related to the boosting the effectiveness of your lifestyle changes. By using natural supplements as an active part of natural weight loss, you are maximizing the boosts that just might make the difference between getting to your original weight goal but adding to that, the long term benefits of lifestyle changes.

The most important factor to remember when developing and implementing a natural weight loss program is that it should be prepared with the idea that this is how you want to live the rest of your life. A program that is easy on the mind because it is the way you live by choice rather than being a regiment that you impose upon yourself periodically in order to drop a large amount of unwanted weight will be much easier to maintain. Better yet, this type of program makes you feel good about yourself all the time, since you are always at your best weight. Health benefits are another advantage that you gain by a vibrant and active life style.

The term diet is one that many people don’t really care for. It has often been said that is DIE with a T. The problem is that most people have the wrong frame of mind when it comes to diet. They have the perception that it is about giving up all their favorite foods and going hungry. They see it as something they will have to do for a period of time. However, for a diet to really work it has to be a lifestyle change and something you look forward to. It has to become a part of your daily habits.

One of the biggest reasons why a diet fails is that people restrict the foods they can consume. It seems that the more you are told you can’t have something the more you want it. Therefore you need to not eliminate anything from your diet. Instead you need to make modifications. Do you love chocolate? Make yourself a deal that you can have a small amount of it every evening after you get done exercising. If you don’t work out though you don’t get it!

Be wary of fad diets that restrict what you can eat. You need to have well balanced meals every day. This includes lean meats, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and grains. Doing so will ensure you don’t feel hungry throughout the day. When you restrict foods or skip meals you will tend to binge later on in the day so it really hasn’t been effective for you. It can help if you keep a diary of what you eat as well as how you feel. You will soon notice patterns emerging.

If you have been eating the wrong foods for a very long time you may think it is hopeless. Yet you just need to be dedicated to making some changes that will help you to look and feel much better. Get the entire family involved in menu planning and shopping. That way you will all be on the same page with it. Planning meals means you will be less likely to pick up foods when you are in a hurry that aren’t good for you.

Many restaurants also have some healthy foods on their menu so ask about them. There is no reason why you can’t eat out but still stay within the confines of your diet. If you can completely eliminate the word diet from your vocabulary it is even better. The positive outlook you have when you make the changes is going to be very important when it comes to the success you will have.

If you struggle there are dieticians that can help you with planning delicious meals. Discovering that you can eat right, feel good, lose weight, and have delicious foods can become a reality for you. It will really amaze you how quickly you grow accustomed to this new way of eating. You also won’t feel hungry or feel deprived which means you will be very happy. It is time you start controlling the foods you eat instead of allowing them to control you.

There are many diet programs that offer their own weight loss foods. These may be fine nutritionally and then again they may not. Either way, programs with packaged meals are usually quite expensive. You can easily make your own weight loss foods at home, or buy them individually at the store.

Raisin bran seems to be a healthful food. However, most brands are loaded with sugar. Make some yourself to cut back on sugar. Buy Total cereal or some other unsweetened bran or whole grain flakes. Add a packet of raisins, serve it with skim or low fat milk, and you’re good to go. Another benefit is the fiber from the cereal.

Traditional omelets are delicious, but they’re generally not ideal for weight loss. Instead, just use egg whites. And don’t add fat to the frying pan – try a vegetable spray like Pam. Or use Egg Beaters egg whites, spinach, and mushrooms. Scramble it up until the egg whites are done. It makes a nice breakfast.

For a summer meal, make up some refreshing frozen-fruit smoothies. Use frozen fruit, like frozen unsweetened blueberries as the base. Then add banana, wheat germ and water. You will get plenty of nutrients from a smoothie like this, it’s a good weight loss food, and you’ll enjoy it as well.

Dried fruits such as dates, papayas, and mangoes, are good for munching. They provide a lot of chewing action with few calories. Their sweetness can replace candies.

Frozen fruits are also good for snacking while losing weight. Freeze a banana and then when you eat it, you’ll consume 200 fewer calories than if you ate 1/2 cup of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. A 12-ounce bag of blueberries will save you on calories too. Even with a snack as large as that you’ll be eating 80 fewer calories less than a serving of frozen yogurt.

It’s also very healthy to eat fresh fruits and vegetables in season. These natural weight loss foods can be found at roadside stands and farmers’ markets. You can even get them at some grocery stores. The more of them you eat, the more you will tend to lose.

There’s a particular vegetable that’s one of the best for losing weight: Spaghetti squash. You cook it up and it actually resembles spaghetti. What’s more, you can use sauces on it just like you would on regular spaghetti. As you do, you will be saving about 200 calories over regular spaghetti.

A popular food for dieters that’s available in the stores it the Boca burger. It is soy based, and it’s a vegetarian burger. It costs you 180 calories less than a regular burger. Some restaurants even have them so go ahead and ask.

A Subway roast beef sandwich is one of the most famous diet foods. Its lean beef is perfect for supplying needed protein without adding extra fat. It is one of the lower calorie subs made.

Whether you go out to eat, buy it at the store, or make it yourself, you’ll be pleased with the variety of weight loss foods. With all you have to choose from, there’s never a dull food-related moment.